Filed under: WPS

She is, without question, the best women’s soccer player in the world — a five-time FIFA award winner whose stunning skill would impress even Andy Gray and Richard Keys.

Her talents have translated to Women’s Professional Soccer, where she led her clubs to first place in each of the league’s two seasons while scoring 29 goals.

But she’s also been the kiss of death. Worth a reported $500,000 per year, the Brazilian’s contract has weighed heavily on clubs struggling to survive in a sport that still hasn’t turned the corner. Marta’s first team, the Los Angeles Sol, folded one year ago after L.A. Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group pulled out and a prospective replacement failed to deliver. WPS’s marquee franchise was history.

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Marta Returns to WPS, Signs with Expansion Club in Western New York

Filed under: MLS, US Soccer

BALTIMORE — If FIFA doesn’t want to play ball with the United States, than Major League Soccer isn’t going to play ball with FIFA.

MLS commissioner Don Garber on Thursday told FanHouse that the league is going to pocket its promise to look into shifting its season to the European fall-to-spring calendar — it was a promise made to curry favor with FIFA days before the governing body awarded the World Cup to Qatar.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter had pressed the U.S. Soccer Federation, and even President Barack Obama, about MLS’s summer schedule. “It really is going to be a lot of work, but we’re making the commitment,” Garber said prior to the MLS Cup Final in Toronto. ” I think that’s going to be big news throughout the world, particularly as we go out to Zurich and try to bring the World Cup back to the United States.”

On Thursday, however, a little more than a month after FIFA awarded the world’s biggest sporting event to the tiny desert nation of 1.5 million people, prompting some to call for a January 2022 World Cup, Garber had changed his tune.

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MLS To Back Off Schedule Shift Following World Cup Snub

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, La Liga (Spain), Netherlands, Spain, United States, Uruguay

It’s hard to argue with anyone who claims that Lionel Messi is the best soccer player in the world.

But was he the player of the year?

For the first time since it was introduced in 1991, the FIFA player of the year award has gone to someone who did not lift the World Cup the preceding summer. Fifty-eight goals in 54 club matches can make people forget about one disappointing tournament.

So, despite missing out on both the World Cup and UEFA Champions League finals, Messi won the FIFA Ballon d’Or on Monday over Barcelona teammates and World Cup champions Xavi Hern?ndez and Andr?s Iniesta.

The award is voted upon in equal proportion by national team coaches, captains and one journalist from each FIFA member.

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Lionel Messi Wins FIFA’s Player of the Year Award Despite Poor World Cup

Filed under: International Soccer, MLS, Serie A (Italy), Los Angeles Galaxy

The long-running rumors connecting Ronaldinho with the Los Angeles Galaxy apparently are a signature or two away from finally being silenced.

The Brazilian icon and 2010 World Cup snub reportedly has agreed to terms with Gr?mio, the club from his home town of Porto Alegre with which he began his career a dozen years ago.

Gr?mio president Paulo Odone told RBS television on Wednesday that the contract terms are “all settled” and that all that remains is for the player to secure his release from AC Milan.

“Ronaldinho wants to go back to Gr?mio, which is his home — where he began playing football,” Odone said.

The RBS interview is scheduled to air on Thursday, according to the club’s Web site.

Ronaldinho joined Milan in the summer of 2008 after five years with Barcelona, which sold the player to the Italian giant for just under $30 million. His form and health have been inconsistent since. While he appeared revitalized during much of the 2009-10 season, he now has not started a Serie A match for the league leaders in more than two months.

Discussions between Ronaldinho and the Galaxy are thought to have been quite serious, and there was a definite possibility that the two-time FIFA world player of the year would come to Major League Soccer.

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Ronaldinho to Spurn Galaxy, on Verge of Return to Brazil

Fabulously named soccer king Sepp Blatter (right) apologized Friday for joking about gays refraining from being gay if they want to attend the 2022 World Cup.

So when does FIFA’s president apologize for awarding the event to Qatar and announce it’s moving to a more tolerant country?

North Korea, perhaps.

I realize this is a soccer issue, therefore 97.3 percent of American sports fans don’t care. But even soccer bashers should be blown away by the screwball comedy that Blatter has orchestrated.

How can you not shake your head at the absurd potential of gay soccer fans (or even players if any come out by 2022) being thrown in jail if they celebrate a win with a kiss?

I suppose one way not to find such a scenario the least bit entertaining is to be a gay soccer fan. If it’s any comfort, at least they’re not alone in their worries.

Two weeks after FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar, everybody who didn’t get a nice bribe is wondering what Blatter’s gang was drinking during deliberations. Not that there is any definitive proof the Qatarians purchased the World Cup. After all, what bid committee wouldn’t have been blown away by this pitch:

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Empty Blatter: Sepp’s Logic Still Lacking on Qatar, Gays

Filed under: MLS, US Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team, Chivas USA

After five months of waiting, Jonathan Bornstein is finally a Tiger.

The former Chivas USA defender has joined his new club, Mexican First Division side Tigres UANL, and has begun preseason work with his new teammates.

The Los Alamitos, Calif. native announced the move on July 19 after returning home from a successful run at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa with the U.S. National Team. The four-year deal will see Bornstein begin play with the Monterrey-based team in the 2011 Clausura tournament, which kicks off on January 8th of next year.

On Monday, Bornstein and the rest of Tigres played an intra-squad scrimmage at the Mayan Riviera hotel where the team is holding preseason. The game pitted the club’s starting XI, which included Bornstein, against its substitutes.

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Jonathan Bornstein Gets Back to Work With Tigres UANL

Filed under: International Soccer, Argentina, Spain

Inter Milan may have walked away with the UEFA Champions League title in May, but when it comes to individual talent, it would appear Barcelona comes second to none.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta were named finalists for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or on Monday, ensuring that the title of world’s best player will remain at Camp Nou for another season.

Messi won FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or honors last year, while Xavi and Iniesta also finished in the top five for both awards.

Those two prizes have been combined into a single honor for the first time this year. Voted on by coaches, players and journalists, the trophy will be presented Jan. 10 in Zurich.

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Barcelona Trio Named FIFA Ballon d’Or Finalists

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, US Soccer

WASHINGTON, DC — My second day at Al Jazeera’s TV studio here in the nation’s capital got off to a unexpectedly disheartening start.

At least an hour before FIFA overlord Sepp Blatter was scheduled to announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Qatari bid chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the son of the Emir, was pictured offering his congratulations to the people of Qatar.

“We have won,” he declared boldly.

I watched it all on the studio’s hi-def monitor.

About 90 minutes later, Al Thani was proven right. Qatar won easily, in fact, defeating the U.S. by a wide margin through four rounds of voting. (The moment sinks in, above). Qatar’s oil-soaked thumb print clearly was on the pulse of the FIFA executive committee. In contrast, the U.S. never found its rhythm.

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US Soccer President Sunil Gulati At a Loss as Qatar Wins 2022 World Cup Bid

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, England

Russia will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The announcement was made by FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland.

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov accepted the bid on behalf of the Russian delegation.

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Russia to Host 2018 World Cup

Filed under: International Soccer, US Soccer

The U.S. women’s national team, which was the 16th and last side to qualify for next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Germany, will face Asian power North Korea, debutant Colombia and 2003 runner-up Sweden in the group stage.

FIFA conducted the draw Monday afternoon in Frankfurt, just two days after the U.S. defeated Italy, 1-0, in Chicago to clinch the final spot. The two game playoff, which the Americans won, 2-0, on aggregate, was necessitated by a shock third-place finish in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament.

The U.S. recovered from the “miracle on grass” semifinal loss to Mexico to defeat Costa Rica in the consolation game and advance to the playoff against Italy, the fifth-place finisher from Europe.

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US Draws N. Korea, Colombia and Sweden in 2011 Women’s World Cup